Open AccessTECHNOLIBERAL PARTICIPATION: BLACK LIVES MATTER AND INSTAGRAM SLIDESHOWS
Author(s) -
Matthew Salzano
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
selected papers of internet research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2162-3317
DOI - 10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12034
Subject(s) - deliberation , globe , media studies , social media , ideology , presentation (obstetrics) , political science , sociology , law , psychology , politics , medicine , neuroscience , radiology
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Black Lives Matterprotests surged around the globe. Amid COVID-19, activism on social media flourished. OnInstagram, use of the ten-image carousel as an informative slideshow akin to a PowerPointpresentation gained significant attention: The New York Times highlighted their “effort todemocratize access to information." In this paper, I rhetorically analyze case studies toillustrate how Instagram slideshows facilitated deliberation about participation. I arguethat these posts reveal a tension in platformed digital activism: as digital templatesbroaden access to participation, technoliberal ideology constrains activistjudgment.